Billy Mitchell is a famed name in the competitive gaming scene, both for the records that he set on arcade games and for the role that he played in the story behind The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. Recently, Mitchell’s achievement with setting the Donkey Kong high score has been called into question, with some accusing him of editing together the runs that he did in emulation software. Now, he’s come out with a response to the naysayers.

In a recent talk show called East Side Dave, the topic was discussed, with Mitchell declaring that he’s completely innocent. Here’s what was said:

I’ve never even played MAME. I don’t have MAME loaded in my home. The film footage that he has, that Jeremy (the initial accuser) has, shows MAME play. Now, I contend that if he gets the original tape, or he gets the original room shot, he will see that what I say is true. I’m not disputing what he says. What I’m disputing is the fact that I want him to have the original tape. And the fact of the matter is that that original footage was given to Twin Galaxies, Twin Galaxies has it or should have it, and if it’s anywhere other than Twin Galaxies, that’s a real problem.

Mitchell then goes on to explain that two other men, Todd Rogers and Pete Bouvier, were supposedly present when he set the score, and while some former Twin Galaxies workers have heard of the existence of a tape of that score being set, nobody has been able to find it.

What do you think? Did Billy Mitchell really set that score? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Mitch has been a fan of Nintendo ever since he got his start on the GBA in 2005. When he's not busy playing games or writing, you can find him down at his local MMA training facility learning how to punish the unrighteous.